Dr. Joel Hyman Rachelson thought that everybody was capable of being happy. Sure, stumbling blocks might crop up, but with an integrated approach to therapy, he thought people could grow and heal.
To that end, this clinical psychologist devised a method of working with people called "Roadmap Therapy." The goal: For people to understand themselves, feel better about themselves and get along with others .
"In a nutshell, ‘Roadmap Therapy' is about being happy, looking at -- and these are my words not his -- the impediments to one's happiness or contentment and using those impediments as a way to find direction toward happiness," said Dr. Edward Rosenzweig, an Atlanta psychologist. "It's a way to discover one's inner therapist, that inner person to direct one's life."
Two days after seeing clients, Dr. Joel Hyman Rachelson of Atlanta died on Aug. 13 from complications of liver cancer. He was 60. A memorial will be held at 5 p.m. Sept. 10 at Congregation Bet Haverim, Central Congregational United Church of Christ in Atlanta. Dressler's Jewish Funeral Care is in charge of arrangements.
Dr. Rachelson earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from Georgia State University. He studied at the university when the institution was an educational leader in Gestalt therapy, a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility, individual experience, environment, social aspects and how one makes adjustments to those conditions.
He interned at the Veterans Administration Palo Alto Health Care System, then earned his Ph.D. He'd been a clinical psychologist in Atlanta since 1985. Kay Starr Rachelson, his wife of eight years, said her husband integrated cutting-edge theories and methods to draft a personal brand of therapy.
"He took the best of the proactive healing therapies and put them together to make them his own," she said. "He had to study something that went deep and chose psychology. He wanted everybody in the world to have access to psychotherapy. He thought everybody could benefit from it."
Five years ago, this couple founded The Cottages Psychotherapy Center, home to 15 pyschotherapists and message therapists. The center fulfilled Dr. Rachelson's dream -- to teach what he knew and establish an accessible community of healers.
"It's a wonderful group here and we all do something different," said Jackie Johnson, a counselor at the Cottage. "My focus is anxiety and a lady next door focuses on eating disorders. We run the gamut, and it's absolutely the kind of [community] he wanted to have. He'll be missed."
Survivors besides his wife include a sister, Lynne Rabinowitz and a brother, Ira Rachelson, both of Atlanta.
About the Author
